BenI's Favorites

Stanley 750 “SW” Chisels
Not the easiest things to purchase by any stretch (see In Search of blog entry here – http://lumberjocks.com/Smitty_Cabinetshop/blog/22223), but now these tools are in hand. If this review is entertaining, great. If you’re interested in what to expect from a purchase of Stanley SW 750s, continue reading. If it’s a side-by-side comparison with Lie-Nielsen, Ashley-Iles or 2 Cherries that the reader is after, frustration awaits.
I’ll start with a disclaimer t...

I had this craftsman 5/8hp router that I inherited from my father-in-law a while ago. It was all plastic and really light. I used it to do some decorative inlay work, and for that it was ok. I did find that it’s light weight made it easy to make unintended movements when doing light touch work. I figured a heavier router would help.
I decided on the 895PK because it comes with a height adjustment crank that goes through a table insert to engage the elevation adjuster on the fixed bas...

It was almost like Christmas day this afternoon: my new PC 895PK arrived care of our friends at UPS. I immediately opened the box, then the case, and then the router and plunge base from the plastic bags.
Oh my! The router is a delight to look at, almost to the point where you might not want to get it dirty. Notice I said “almost.” The motor housing is very well machined and moves through the fixed base like butter. The base castings are flawless (something missing from t...

After being overly frustrated with the Craftsman router that I started out with (which still makes a good router for my router table), I finally broke down and bought this one this last weekend. I intended on picking up the Bosch combo at Lowes, but this one was on sale and I’m price minded to a fault. However, I can’t see how I could have made a better decision.
The router is solid. 100%. I’ve not had the luxury of working with a mid-grade router like this before, bu...

I have read the reviews for all brands of routers that appeared in woodworking magazines or online. I have used Hitachi, Freud, Craftsman, Dewalt, and other routers. I have carefully inspected Porter Cable, Ridgid, and Makita. The fixed base is lower profile than any other 2-1/4 hp router on the market. This low center of gravity helps when forming an edge. The plunge base action is “gorgeous” as described by a fine homebuilding magazine review. The router tied for 1st place with ...

I was in need of some brad point bits to drill holes for a set of ball catches I am installing. I have been using regular twist bits and needed something with a centering guide. My set of Irwin Jennings-pattern auger bits don’t go to 1/4”. I looked at brad point bits at the Borg and didn’t like any of the ones I saw. The lip was simply a point ground into the edge of the radial cutter. It didn’t look like it would leave a clean hole on entry and that is what I am ...

I have recently been doing a lot of pattern routing on my router table. I had started out tracing pieces and cutting them out on the band saw then sanding them on my drum sander, with less than acceptable results (too many inconsistencies in the curves). So, I moved over to making a pattern and cutting close to the line with the band saw then finishing the cut with a pattern bit on the router table. First time I tried this I used a basic, two cutter, top mounted bearing pattern bit and immedi...

This is a great bit that I am using to make Arts and Craft style legs with so that they show quarter sawn white oak on all four sides. The instructions also say that you can use it to build boxes or make drawers but I have not attempted these procedures. The bit comes in two sizes one for use on stock 1/2 -3/4 of an inch and the one I purchased for use on 3/8 – 1/2 inch stock. Now during the set up I did not realize that the bit that I had purchased was meant for use on the thinner stoc...

My plunge router was starting to get a tad sticky after two years of regular use. Not binding heavily, but you could tell sawdust had found its way into the plunge rods. I gave the router a blast of compressed air to clear any dust, and applied a couple squirts of Empire dry lube. I worked the routers plunge several times to distribute the lubricant, then let it dry. Once dry, there was no evidence of the lubricant. No white residue, no oily appearance, just a restored plunge actin that ...

I’m impressed with the Ridgid EB 4424 . For a lot of years I’ve been using my drill press with drum sanders to do what I bought this tool for. It’s hard to find drum sanders (that mount in a drill press) that are at least round, if not even concentric to their arbor shafts. For the last few years that more and more spindle sanders have been showing up in the tool catalogs, I’ve been reading the reviews. I was not impressed, although I was ready to try one just because ...